


A Bout of Flu

by TheTeaIsAddictive



Series: The Beauty of a Beast [14]
Category: Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Minor Original Character(s), References to Illness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-18
Updated: 2016-05-18
Packaged: 2018-06-09 05:39:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6892351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTeaIsAddictive/pseuds/TheTeaIsAddictive
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Belle hates being sick. Her husband tries to distract her from the abject misery of the flu.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Bout of Flu

**A Bout of Flu**

Another watery cough echoed out the large bundle of blankets huddled in front of the fireplace as Adam walked in. From his height he could see the top of Belle's head, and as he arranged his long legs comfortably on the floor beside her he noticed that her eyes were red-rimmed, her face was pale and her nose was beginning to chafe from blowing it so often. She inclined her head, attempting to rest it on his shoulder, but over-balanced, her whole body bumping into her husband's left arm. A defeated whimper could be heard from the mountain of hair and cloth. 

"I think you might have more than _just_ a cold, _mon amour_ ," Adam murmured. 

"You think?" she croaked. "I feel horrible, I hope Clarisse doesn't catch this."

"Don't worry; Mrs. Potts is sure it isn't contagious, but she's been sent off to Charming and Elle anyway."

Ever the worrying mother, Belle visibly relaxed at the news that her daughter would be safely out of harms way. Clarisse had been born shortly after that terrible fight Belle and Adam had had in the January of the year of her birth. Starting off life as a blonde-haired, blue-eyed baby, she had quickly darkened to her fathers red hair and her mothers deep brown doe-eyes. For a royal family Adam and Belle were unusually involved in their daughters daily life, even given the live-in nanny that was hired, but they both agreed Clarisse was a special exception to nearly every rule written in the book of royalty. Not so the book of parenting. Even though she was only two and a half, Clarisse was an extremely mischievous child, and had already mortally offended Cogsworth on numerous occasions, only being pardoned each time after appearing in tears holding a little bouquet of wildflowers that everyone knew (though it was never confessed) that Cogsworth kept in his room for weeks after they died. Clarisse was kind, generous, mischievous and unusually stubborn for a two-year-old, and the whole castle was in love with her. 

"It's good that she's with her uncle," Belle coughed. "Maybe Jean-Paul will be able to teach her some manners."

"Jean-Paul! _Mon amour_ ," Adam said in surprise, "Jean-Paul can no more control his cousin than I can stop you investigating every little mystery there is to be solved."

"I am _not_ that bad," Belle protested, struggling to a sitting position through her cocoon of warmth. 

"Yes you are!" Adam laughed, wrapping his arms around her in an imprisoning bear-hug. "You _always_ find your birthday presents, you can't _abide_ it whenever someone knows something they aren't telling you, and on the first night we met you snuck into the West Wing behind my back!" 

"You are _never_ going to get over that, are you?" Belle muttered against her husband's chest. 

"Nope!" Adam smiled cheerfully before kissing her forehead gently. "Besides, I'm sure Clarisse will be good as gold for her uncle and cousin if she's asked nicely."

"There's hoping," Belle grumbled, before a series of heavy coughs racked her body. She whimpered again, tears pinpricking her eyes. 

"Oh, _mon amour_ , you really are ill, aren't you?" Adam sighed, cradling his little wife between his arms. "I know you hate it," he said, stroking her flushed cheek, "but there's nothing we can do. The doctor said we'd just have to wait until virus leaves you."

"Of course _I_ had to be the first person in the castle to catch this wretched bug," Belle uncharacteristically grumbled. "I'm hardly ever ill, and when I am, it's always, _always_ horrible. I can't even keep my head up enough to read to distract myself," she finished. 

__"I'm sorry, Adam," Belle said after a minute, her voice muffled again from the slipping blankets. "I'm being horrible, complaining to you and just making this unpleasant. You don't have to stay."_ _

__"Excuse _me_ ," Adam said in mock horror, "I will stay as long as I want, because you are my wife," he said with a kiss to her hair, "and you are ill," another kiss, this time to her forehead, "and I love you, and I would stay even if you were being ten times as unpleasant as you say you're being." This time he leaned down and kissed her gently on the mouth, lips moving in tandem with hers. It was a lovely moment, until Belle took the opportunity to sneeze into his mouth. "It's a good thing I've already had this bug before, otherwise I'd be severely struck down because of _you_ , _mon amour_." he joked. _ _

__"Hush," Belle said, snuggling closer to him. "My head is kind of hurting again; is there anything to read?"_ _

__"Um . . . I think there's a Shakespeare lurking somewhere around here," Adam said, carefully getting up to ensure he didn't cause Belle any more discomfort than she was already going through. "We have . . . the ever-popular 'Romeo and Juliet'." Belle made a face._ _

__"I'm not really in the mood for tragedy today," she explained._ _

__"Alright," Adam replied, running his fingers over book spines to better see the titles. "Well, you're in luck today, because we have three comedies stuck back here from the last time we were in this room." He turned back to his wife. "We have . . . 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', 'The Taming of the Shrew' and 'Twelfth Night'."_ _

__"I think Taming of the Shrew sounds good today," Belle smiled, only to sneeze violently moments later._ _

__"Oh, _mon amour, mon amour_ ," Adam cooed as he sat down beside her. "Let's begin. _'I'll pheeze you, in faith! A pair of stocks, you rogue!..."__ _

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on ff.net 24/09/2013


End file.
